Starting on First Legit Cuttings

harmonypDecember 2, 2012

Today I prepared my first "real" attempt at propogating cuttings (vs. just sticking them in the ground after pruning).

After reading in and around this thread, I tried different soil mediums - a pure sphagmum, pure seed starter, pure potting soil, pure composted manure from the barn, and "the kitchen sink" which is a good mix of all, plus some sand and vermiculite. That one certainly "feels" the best. 5-6" cuttings, each with 2 leaf sets, all had buds, dipped first in diluted hydrogen peroxide then powered rooting hormone (locals didn't have gel). All are in 10 oz clear cups per Seil, and marked with soil type and cutting. I did a noahs arc - 2 each of 5 of my favorite roses around the house. Then put the cups into the ground to keep them ground soil temperature, in a place where they are wind protected, and get some but not too much sun. Can't wait to see if any succeed.

Ooo, lots of luck :) It's fun & you'll find out what works best for you--& what season, too. Some people get results from the simple baggie or stick-them-in-the-ground-under-a-bush method. I never have & am extremely jealous. Come back & swap :)

Woo Hoo! You'll get some baby own-root roses for sure. I'll bet you get 50% or more....just keep them moist.
We moved to out present (LAST!) home here in NC in August of 2010- low and behold there is a Don Juan on the property. It blooms all season, probably a good 8-10 years old. I pruned it down a bit in late November of 2010, took a dozen of the cuttings and did hardwood cuttings. Should have started them 2 months earlier, but what the heck, give it a 1st try here at the new homestead.
I scraped the sides of the cutting a few times, across a few buds, dipped them in rooting powder. Put them in plastic bands filled with a potting soil/peat moss mix. I buried the bands on the south side of the porch for the winter in soft native soil and threw some water on them once in a while. Of COURSE, turns out we had some pretty bitter cold periods that 2010-2011 winter, but 2 of them rooted and sprang leaves that Spring. Potted them up to 1 gallons, then the present pots until I can decide where to put them (or give one away at work if I can) They both bloomed during the 2011 & 2012 summer seasons, it's a lot of fun and very rewarding. I imagine I would have had a MUCH better success rate if this had all taken place during the 2011-2012 winter, as it was extremely mild out. I never covered the cuttings, just mounded the soil up around them all a bit & kept them watered now and then. Here is a pic of the two almost 2 yr. old babies. Best of luck with the cuttings!
~Jay

Looks like I did 8 Don Juan cuttings from this photo I found dated 1-22-2011...I covered the tops with a good layer of hardwood mulch, and as mentioned, they were south facing and got warm sun during the cold winter as the leaves on the trees are all gone. So, turns out to be a 25% success rate on this last minute cutting escapade - seriously not a bad turnout as it was a very cold winter when I did it.
~ Jay

Hooray! I can't wait to hear how they turn out- I just dug out a rose where 90% of the root had rotted (if I knew what kind of mushrooms I had I might have left it!). There's a teeny leafed sprout and one solid cane with roots. I've got the sprout in a pot and the cane in the ground of my atrium so I have hope they'll live. Although I'm afraid I'm just trying to keep them comfortable in their last days.

Update on my 10 cuttings. Two have disappeared (I just have knocked them out, or the dogs ran over them - the cups are planted in the ground outside).

Of the 8 remaining, all have leaf growth. Some leaves are coming directly out of the soil slightly away from the cutting, all have small leafy growth coming out of the cuttings. To early to call it success. I don't see roots through the cup wall yet, and I'm not going to pull them out to see and break off any tiny roots growing. Hopefully soon I'll have something worthy of photographing.

I have been doing cuttings for years! I would say 30%of my roses are cuttings.
When I go to a Rose Show I just look for roses I don't have. Then I ask the person who has that rose if I could take it. Most will say yes. I take a pen and write the name of the rose on the leaf. That way I will know what they are!
I use a liquid rooting hormone I get from Rosemania. I take the cutting and cut the bloom off. I then strip the bottom set or so of leaves. I look for the new growth buds from the leaf axels. I split the stem with a knife right down the middle. Then I put it in the rooting hormone. I put mine right into the ground outside.. I try to pick a north side so they stay in the shade. I use the big pop bottles. Cut the bottom out. I use a white spray paint to put some shading on the bottle, like they do to glass in a greenhouse. I poke a hole in the soil and put the cutting in. I then firm the soil around the base of the cutting. I put the bottle over it and water it well. I then put on the cap.
I have 90% success.
I have a lot of hard to get roses. I have my rose list posted on Helpme find/roses. If you have any questions just email me!

Does it matter about the soil a cutting is put in? This sounds very easy - but I have head about all these different soil mixes. Do you have any special soil mix put in the spot you stick your cuttings?

In my experiment for this, I used different soils (mentioned which in original post). When I compare the cuttings in their current state, all leafing out now, I see no difference between them - they all are working. I'm also excited to see that I must have unconsciously picked up my 2 "thought missing" cuttings and stuck them in cups that already had a cutting in it, because I note that 2 cups have 2 cuttings each, and all 10 are there, and all are doing well. As I reflect on why my first tries at this didn't work (when I just stuck them in the ground), I'm betting it's because I forgot about them during periods of time, and let them dry out. This is turning out to be really easy, just an exercise in patience and maintenance.

I too have had disappointing results with all hardwood cuttings, not just Roses. Actually splitting the stem is something I haven't tried yet, so that will be next.
Great thread with wonderful stories. :)

Status update 3 1/2 months later. I got too cocky. I was so pleased that all cuttings were leaving out. Thinking I'm hot stuff. Then, suddenly something started eating the leaves, and a few started rotting (turned black) in their little cups in the ground. Anyways - because their leaves were getting eatten I moved them from their little cups in the ground, into pots - way too early. Speed up to now. Out of 10, I have two fabulous new plants. One still green cutting that I know is going to die. And 7 cuttings that rotted - turned black from bottom up.

I'm excited and bummed. Still mostly excited. But, curious as to why the huge success at 2 months - with leaves starting on all of them, then suddenly they rotted. Guessing, my continuous overwatering finally got to them. And guessing it was snails eating the leaves.

Do you know what varieties actually rooted for you? From what I've seen with my cuttings, it seems that certain varieties root much much for easily than others. A couple that I rooted early last year seem to be really doing well! I noticed a couple are even shooting out some new basels in the greenhouse...love it!

But, my ooops what rose did this cane fall off of summer cutting tries, one is 4 feet tall! I have NO idea what they are and not a bloom yet to see. I had bought a variety of roses and a cane or two broke off in transit and I decided I would see if I could root them-go figure